The present invention relates to compositions, in any form, preferably liquid or granular form, for use in laundry and/or fabric care applications, wherein the compositions comprise certain modified starch-based polymer and/or oligomer materials which impart appearance and integrity benefits to fabrics and textiles laundered in washing solutions formed from such compositions. The modified starch-based polymer and/or oligomer materials can be added to wash solutions by incorporating them into a laundry and/or fabric care composition, a fabric softener or by adding them separately to the washing solution. The modified starch-based polymer and/or oligomer materials are described herein primarily as liquid or granular detergent additives but the present invention is not meant to be so limited.
It is, of course, well known that alternating cycles of using and laundering fabrics and textiles, such as articles of worn clothing and apparel, will inevitably adversely affect the appearance and integrity of the fabric and textile items so used and laundered. Fabrics and textiles simply wear out over time and with use. Laundering of fabrics and textiles is necessary to remove soils and stains which accumulate therein and thereon during ordinary use. However, the laundering operation itself, over many cycles, can accentuate and contribute to the deterioration of the integrity and the appearance of such fabrics and textiles.
Deterioration of fabric integrity and appearance can manifest itself in several ways. Short fibers are dislodged from woven and knit fabric/textile structures by the mechanical action of laundering. These dislodged fibers may form lint, fuzz or xe2x80x9cpillsxe2x80x9d which are visible on the surface of fabrics and diminish the appearance of newness of the fabric. Also, dislodged fibers are more susceptible to damage which causes increased light scattering to decrease fabric color depth or strength. Further, repeated laundering of fabrics and textiles, especially with bleach-containing laundry products, can remove dye from fabrics and textiles and impart a faded, worn out appearance as a result of diminished color intensity, and in many cases, as a result of changes in hues or shades of color.
Given the foregoing, there is clearly an ongoing need to identify materials which could be added to laundry detergent products that would associate themselves with the fibers of the fabrics and textiles laundered using such detergent products and thereby reduce or minimize the tendency of the laundered fabric/textiles to deteriorate in appearance. Any such detergent product additive material should, of course, be able to benefit fabric appearance and integrity without unduly interfering with the ability of the laundry detergent to perform its fabric cleaning function. The present invention is directed to the use of modified starch-based polymer and/or oligomer materials in laundry and/or fabric care applications which perform in this desired manner.
Modified starch-based polymer and/or oligomer materials, preferably modified amylose (represented by Formula I below) and/or modified amylopectin (represented by Formula II below) both of which are described in Kirk-Othmer""s Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology 4th Edition, Vol. 22, pp. 701-703, starch, generally, is described at pp. 699-719, which are suitable for use in laundry and/or fabric care operations and provide the desired fabric appearance and integrity benefits can be characterized by the following general formulas, alone or in combination: 
wherein each R is selected from the group consisting of R2, RC, and 
wherein:
each R2 is independently selected from the group consisting of H and C1-C4 alkyl;
each Rc is 
wherein each Z is independently selected from the group consisting of M, R2, RC, and RH;
each RH is independently selected from the group consisting of C5-C20 alkyl, C5-C7 cycloalkyl, C7-C20 alkylaryl, C7-C20 arylalkyl, substituted alkyl, hydroxyalkyl, C1-C20 alkoxy-2-hydroxyalkyl, C7-C20 alkylaryloxy-2-hydroxyalkyl, (R4)2N-alkyl, (R4)2N-2-hydroxyalkyl, (R4)3 N-alkyl, (R4)3 N-2-hydroxyalkyl, C6-C 12 aryloxy-2-hydroxyalkyl, 
each R4 is independently selected from the group consisting of H, C1-C20 alkyl, C5-C7 cycloalkyl, C7-C20 alkylaryl, C7-C20 arylalkyl, aminoalkyl, alkylaminoalkyl, dialkylaminoalkyl, piperidinoalkyl, morpholinoalkyl, cycloalkylaminoalkyl and hydroxyalkyl;
each R5 is independently selected from the group consisting of H, C1-C20 alkyl, C5-C7 cycloalkyl, C7-C20 alkylaryl, C7-C20 arylalkyl, substituted alkyl, hydroxyalkyl, (R4)2N-alkyl, and (R4)3 N-alkyl;
wherein:
M is a suitable cation selected from the group consisting of Na+, K+, xc2xdCa2+,xc2xdMg2+, or +NHjRk wherein j and k are independently from 0 to 4 and wherein j+k is 4 and R in this formula is any moiety capable of forming a cation, preferably methyl and/or ethyl group or derivative;
each x is from 0 to about 5;
each y is from about 1 to about 5; and provided that:
the Degree of Substitution for group RH is between about 0.001 and about 0.1, more preferably between about 0.005 and about 0.05, and most preferably between about 0.01 and about 0.05;
the Degree of Substitution for group RC wherein Z is H or M is between about 0 and about 2.0, more preferably between about 0.05 and about 1.0, and most preferably between about 0.1 and about 0.5;
if any RH bears a positive charge, it is balanced by a suitable anion; and
two R4""s on the same nitrogen can together form a ring structure selected from the group consisting of piperidine and morpholine.
The modified starch-based polymer and/or oligomer materials defined above can be used as a washing solution additive in either granular or liquid form. Alternatively, they can be admixed to granular detergents, dissolved/dispersed in liquid laundry and/or fabric care compositions or added to a fabric softening composition. The forgoing description of uses for the modified starch-based polymer and/or oligomer materials defined herein are intended to be exemplary and other uses will be apparent to those skilled in the art and are intended to be within the scope of the present invention.
The laundry and/or fabric care compositions herein comprise from about 0.1% to about 80%, more preferably from about 1% to about 50%, even more preferably from about 2% to about 30% by weight of the modified starch-based polymer and/or oligomer materials of the present invention and optionally, but preferably from about 1% to about 80% by weight of a detersive surfactant, from about 0.1% to about 80% by weight of an organic or inorganic detergency. The detersive surfactant and detergency builder materials can be any of those useful in conventional laundry detergent products.
Aqueous solutions of the modified starch-based polymer and/or oligomer materials of the subject invention comprise from about 0.5 ppm to about 1000 ppm, more preferably from about 0.875 ppm to about 700 ppm, most preferably from about 10 ppm to about 200 ppm of the modified starch-based polymer and/or oligomer materials dissolved in water.
In its method aspect, the present invention relates to the laundering or treating of fabrics and textiles in aqueous washing or treating solutions, especially in-home laundering and/or treating solutions and/or solutions used to treat and/or launder finished garments, formed from effective amounts of the laundry and/or fabric care compositions described herein, or formed from the individual components of such compositions. Laundering of fabrics and textiles in such washing solutions, followed by rinsing and drying, imparts fabric appearance benefits to the fabric and textile articles so treated. Such benefits can include improved overall appearance, pill/fuzz reduction, antifading, improved abrasion resistance, and/or enhanced softness.
All percentages, ratios and proportions herein are on a weight basis unless otherwise indicated. All documents cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference.